Good Lord, the commencement speaker in my year (for the main school - I was in Engineering who had their own ceremony and I couldn't even tell you who ours was) was Paul Michael Glaser, a.k.a. "Starsky" from "Starsky & Hutch". Only problem was, that show hadn't been on TV for like 15 years at that point. But, oooh, he went to Tulane! At least Hoda is still on TV now and people know who she is. Anyone in my class who had ever watched "Starsky & Hutch" (I hadn't, but was aware of it) had only watched it in re-runs.

Really? I'd MUCH rather have a Tulane Grad than some famous person. At least we know the Tulane Grad has had a good education. Many famous people have a high school diploma and that's it, and they don't know what they don't know.

*I'd like to make it perfectly clear that this is not directed against Tulane. My husband has a Tulane degree and I would be thrilled if my little girl someday had one, too. I **know** that the university is 100 percent behind Hoda, but since the petition, as small as it was, has gone viral, I couldn't not address it.

As I alluded before I think the children who wrote the petition should scorned by all . . . .That said, she's a journalist. They are self important. I can think off the top of my head a 3 impressive Greenies that would be better speakers. Putting that aside, she's better than the EPA hack and the assclown that was my speaker.

*I'd like to make it perfectly clear that this is not directed against Tulane. My husband has a Tulane degree and I would be thrilled if my little girl someday had one, too. I **know** that the university is 100 percent behind Hoda, but since the petition, as small as it was, has gone viral, I couldn't not address it.

Now THAT was a rebuttal.

D*MN IT SURE WAS!I wonder how those poor, mistreated students who wrote the petition feel after reading that! (they're probably going to sue Swenson for making them feel ashamed because no one is allowed to feel shame in the world in which they were raised)

Good Lord, the commencement speaker in my year (for the main school - I was in Engineering who had their own ceremony and I couldn't even tell you who ours was) was Paul Michael Glaser, a.k.a. "Starsky" from "Starsky & Hutch". Only problem was, that show hadn't been on TV for like 15 years at that point. But, oooh, he went to Tulane! At least Hoda is still on TV now and people know who she is. Anyone in my class who had ever watched "Starsky & Hutch" (I hadn't, but was aware of it) had only watched it in re-runs.

Really? I'd MUCH rather have a Tulane Grad than some famous person. At least we know the Tulane Grad has had a good education. Many famous people have a high school diploma and that's it, and they don't know what they don't know.

Fame is way overrated.

Don't get me started on that line of thought . . . . A teaser: Why should anyone give a good gee-whizz what Leonardo DiCaprio thinks about global warming.

*I'd like to make it perfectly clear that this is not directed against Tulane. My husband has a Tulane degree and I would be thrilled if my little girl someday had one, too. I **know** that the university is 100 percent behind Hoda, but since the petition, as small as it was, has gone viral, I couldn't not address it.

Now THAT was a rebuttal.

D*MN IT SURE WAS!I wonder how those poor, mistreated students who wrote the petition feel after reading that! (they're probably going to sue Swenson for making them feel ashamed because no one is allowed to feel shame in the world in which they were raised)

The real story here is that the students made fools of themselves by calling out Tulane under the assumption that Kotb was an airheaded goof (as they'd assume from her current position) and Swenson showed that Kotb not only is a person worthwhile of speaking and motivating the class, but that she's probably way more qualified than most of our previous speakers.

Seriously, go read that rebuttal letter. Emmys, Peabodys, a cancer survivor, and when she's not at work she delivers Christmas presents to kids in the projects that she met while doing a story, on her own and off-camera. ... Nuff said.

The real story here is that the students made fools of themselves by calling out Tulane under the assumption that Kotb was an airheaded goof (as they'd assume from her current position) and Swenson showed that Kotb not only is a person worthwhile of speaking and motivating the class, but that she's probably way more qualified than most of our previous speakers.

Seriously, go read that rebuttal letter. Emmys, Peabodys, a cancer survivor, and when she's not at work she delivers Christmas presents to kids in the projects that she met while doing a story, on her own and off-camera. ... Nuff said.

The real story here is that the students made fools of themselves by calling out Tulane under the assumption that Kotb was an airheaded goof (as they'd assume from her current position) and Swenson showed that Kotb not only is a person worthwhile of speaking and motivating the class, but that she's probably way more qualified than most of our previous speakers.

Seriously, go read that rebuttal letter. Emmys, Peabodys, a cancer survivor, and when she's not at work she delivers Christmas presents to kids in the projects that she met while doing a story, on her own and off-camera. ... Nuff said.

The real story here is that the students made fools of themselves by calling out Tulane under the assumption that Kotb was an airheaded goof (as they'd assume from her current position) and Swenson showed that Kotb not only is a person worthwhile of speaking and motivating the class, but that she's probably way more qualified than most of our previous speakers.

Seriously, go read that rebuttal letter. Emmys, Peabodys, a cancer survivor, and when she's not at work she delivers Christmas presents to kids in the projects that she met while doing a story, on her own and off-camera. ... Nuff said.

While I mostly agree with most everything that has been said about the kids that wrote this letter (though not necessarily the implications of how everything's gone to hell with youth, every generation thinks that)......

I do find it funny that this time last year there were very few of us on here defending Maya Rudolphe. Most of the rest of this board was attacking her for reasons not really all that different than those in the letter (though, in fairness, worded much more maturely.....but that's to be expected when comparing 22 year olds to 40+). Suddenly Hoda Kotb comes up, who fits the Rudolphe category only, arguably, is even smaller fish, and it's jump on the kids time?

Don't get me wrong. The students do come across looking hopelessly all about me, self obsessed, etc. And this thing going viral is a bad look for TU. I just don't get why everyone who loved to hate on Maya Rudolphe now cares so much about students who hated on Kotb......at least (and I won't give them much else) it is in fact their graduation.

_________________“We will expect success in all endeavors and be prepared to assess and hold ourselves accountable when we aren't successful. Tulane is a top 40 academic institution and it should expect nothing less from its athletic department.”--Troy Dannen 11.5.16

I find it funny that you think Maya Rudolph is a bigger fish than Hoda. Hoda was on local TV for years but now she's a co-host of the Today Show. That's a bigger deal than Maya Rudolph who I think is perfectly fine comic actress.

It's a bad look for the ridiculous students. Probably a good thing for those of them who are still educable. For Tulane, it will fade quickly.

_________________You want experience running the entire show? You got it. You want someone young and energetic? You got it. You wanted someone with absolutely no ties to Cowen/Dickson? You got it. - TU23

_________________“We will expect success in all endeavors and be prepared to assess and hold ourselves accountable when we aren't successful. Tulane is a top 40 academic institution and it should expect nothing less from its athletic department.”--Troy Dannen 11.5.16

_________________“We will expect success in all endeavors and be prepared to assess and hold ourselves accountable when we aren't successful. Tulane is a top 40 academic institution and it should expect nothing less from its athletic department.”--Troy Dannen 11.5.16